BC Courts Taking Jurisdiction Over Foreign Disputes

For the second time in recent months, a British Columbian court has allowed a civil case to proceed against a resource company in British Columbia for wrongs allegedly committed outside of Canada.

On October 6, 2016, the British Columbia Supreme Court determined that a civil claim alleging human rights violations at an Eritrean mine could proceed to trial against a British Columbia mining company (see Araya v. Nevsun Resources Ltd., 2016 BCSC 1856: British Columbia Supreme Court refuses to strike civil claims alleging human rights violations at Eritrean mine).

On January 26, 2017, the British Columbia Court of Appeal determined that seven Guatemalan nationals who were allegedly shot while protesting at a mine in Guatemala can continue an action in British Columbia against a British Columbia mining company, Tahoe Resources Inc. (Garcia v. Tahoe Resources Inc., 2017 BCCA 39). In doing so, the Court of Appeal reversed the decision of the chambers' judge, who had